Happy weekend! This week we have news stories about Google Map’s new restaurant discount feature in India, Perfect Day selling out of its flora-based ice cream, and a new study on why gin should be made from peas.
Oh, and a fun bit about a Japanese robot that feeds you tomatoes while you run. Because why not. Enjoy!
Perfect Day sells out of fermented cow-free ice cream
This week Perfect Day, the Silicon Valley startup fermenting dairy with microflora, had a limited release of its first product: a trio of ice creams. They sold 1,000 orders of the ice creams, which were available for $60 plus shipping. According to a tweet from Perfect Day, within 24 hours they had sold out. Founder Ryan Pandya told The Spoon that they plan to bring their animal-free ice cream to retail down the road, either under their own brand or through a partner.
Photo: Unsplash
India: Google Maps shows discounts to nearby food spots
This week, Google announced that it would start showing promotional offers to nearby restaurants on its Maps app in 11 cities in India (h/t Techcrunch). Users in said cities can now open the “Explore” tab and see “Offers,” which show off discounts from local restaurants. Google pulls restaurant discounts from Indian platform EazyDiner, which covers more than 4,000 restaurants. Users will also be able to book a restaurant table directly through the app. This is the latest move from Google to integrate your meal eating with its Maps.
Gin from peas? It could help fight climate change
As you’re sipping on your gin & tonic this weekend, think about this: if your booze were made from peas, it would be better for the planet. Fast Company gave us the heads-up on a study from Environmental International, which shows that alcohol like gin made from fermented legumes (peas) instead of wheat has a significantly lower environmental footprint. Unlike wheat, peas fix nitrogen from the air in soil so they don’t require the input of nitrogen fertilizer. If the pea byproducts are then used as animal feed, the environmental toll would shrink even more.
Tomatan is a wearable robot to feed you tomatoes on the go
You know that struggle when you’re running but you also really, really want to eat a tomato? No? Well, if you did the Tomatan would really come in handy. Made by Japanese tomato juice and ketchup company Kagome, the wearable robot sits on people’s shoulders and holds out tomatoes for them to snack on while headed from A to B. This isn’t really breaking food tech news. It’s just fun.
Did we miss anything? Give us a shout on Twitter @TheSpoonTech.
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